Jean (Breath of Fire II)
Jean or, Ekaru Hoppe de pe Tapeta in the Japanese version, is a character within Breath of Fire II. He is the prince of SimaFort and a member of the Creeping Clan. Bio Card Self-absorbed, dumb, a narcissist, and chivalrous man. He is hard to hate. Pure-hearted and has difficulty suspecting people. He is a good cook and sketches well. Role in Breath of Fire II The party first encounters Jean hiding in a forest pond, embarrassed by his appearance as an enormous frog. He explains that he was transformed into this shape by the witch Nimufu, whom he annoyed with his amorous advances. He asks the travelers to visit her and persuade her to remove the curse. After being defeated in battle, Nimufu reveals that her spell can be broken by the kiss of a young girl. The party is surprised to learn that, even with the curse removed, Jean still maintains a naturally amphibious appearance, and is in fact the Prince of the Creeping Clan. The party escorts Jean back to his home in SimaFort, where he is immediately arrested. It is later uncovered that an impostor had infiltrated the castle during Jean's absence and assumed his identity. With the help of Jean's sister, Petape, Ryu and the party manage to uncover the plot and reveal the impostor's true identity as the demon Kuwadora. Jean is freed from prison and decides to accompany Ryu and the others on their journey. Appearance The reference volume Breath of Fire Official Complete Works states that Jean's concept and extravagant medieval costume were inspired by the Grimm's fairy tale [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frog_Prince The Frog Prince]. His stocky build is atypical for his clan. Personality Jean is incredibly optimistic and carefree, at one point in the journey he remarks that he "doesn't believe there are any bad people in the world, only bad hearts and weak people." He is also often oblivious to the danger of situations or the disapproval of others. For example, he gives Nimufu his family's royal ring, even though she clearly spurns his advances. He also seems oddly at peace with his potential execution at the hands of the demon posing in his place. He is known to frequently shirk his royal duties so that he can wander the countryside, a habit which causes Petape no small amount of frustration. However, despite this, Jean is very loyal and gracious individual, and he is very popular among his subjects. He repeatedly thanks the party for saving him from the witch's curse, even going so far as to allow them to stay at SimaFort indefinitely if they so chose. Like many of the other members of his clan, Jean is captivated by aesthetic beauty and fine cuisine, and as such is drawn toward both the visual and culinary arts. Abilities In Battle Jean has naturally high defense and extremely high luck, however this offset by his low speed. His combat special ability "Jab" attacks all enemies, dealing his base damage to a single target or a 30 damage penalty to each additional target. In the field Jean's field ability allows him to transform back into the giant frog form that Nimufu cursed him with. This allows the party to travel more quickly and to bypass a number of geographic obstacles, such as gaps, ledges, and certain trees. It also greatly reduces the number of enemies the party encounters and allows them to traverse small bodies of water. Shaman Transformation Uniting Jean with Seny (Holy Shaman) and either Seso (Water Shaman) or Spoo (Wind Shaman) will transform Jean into a slender, blue frog knight. In addition to dramatically increasing his stats, his Jab combat ability will be replaced by "Chop" which attempts to instantly defeat an enemy. Spells Jean learns a hodgepodge of offensive and status based spells. Notably, he is one of only two characters (the other being Spar) to learn Hush and Idle. Stats Etymology In the game's Japanese release, Jean goes by his last name "Tapeta." However, his first name, "Ekaru", is a play on words that functions on multiple levels. It is the Japanese spelling of "Ecarle," a reference to Eric Carle, an American children's author who illustrates his books using a unique bend of painting and collage. Although he is an American writer, he enjoys global popularity, including in Japan, where he has won the Japanese Picture Book award, the country's highest award for picture books and his work has been widely exhibited in Japanese museums. This reference is more obvious in Jean's Breath of Fire III appearance, where his name is translated as "Ecarl" and he appears as a painter. "Ekaru" is also an anagram of "kaeru" the Japanese word for frog. Gallery Bof2-meta-jean.jpg|Shaman transformed Jean Artists Category:Breath of Fire II Characters Category:Breath of Fire II Creeping Clan Category:Breath of Fire II Playable Characters Category:Artists Category:Cooks Category:Royalty